By Catherine Laroche
While many people start April with a nice prank or joke, the University of Louisville women’s golf team began the month on a more serious note.
The Cardinals placed second in the John Kirk Lady Panther Invitational, in Stockbridge, Ga. on April 2-3.
The Cards shot a combined 295, on April 2, but finished the day in third place.
The University of Maryland led the first day with a score of 283, and East Carolina University was close behind, with a score of 291.
Sophomore Cindy LaCrosse shot a 69 in the first round to end the day in third. Senior Adrienne White finished the day shooting a 71 tied for ninth, as freshman Camille Williams shot a 76 ending the day tied for 26th.
“I’ve been very pleased with the team’s performance,” University of Louisville women’s golf coach Kelly Meyers said. “The whole team has been stepping up to perform. It’s taken the whole team to be consistent. We’re working towards our goal. They’re doing everything they need to do to get ready for the Big East Championship.”
On April 3, the last day, U of L shot the low round of 295 to finish in second.
The Cards completed the invitational with a score of 590, just five strokes short of the lead.
Maryland took the top honor with a score of 585, while Birmingham Southern University rounded out the top three behind the Cards with a score of 596.
White and LaCrosse tied for fifth place, with a score of 144. White carded a 73 in the last round, as LaCrosse finished with a 75. University of Memphis’ Stacey Tate took medalist honors with a score of 140.
“Cindy has stepped up this spring, compared to her playing in the fall,” Meyers said. “She’s come out to help the rest of the team.”
Sophomore Amanda Henry lifted her game in the second round and shot a 73 to complete the tournament tied for 24th with a score of 152. Junior Jenny Calkins also stepped up her game, shooting a 74 in the final round to finish tied for 44th scoring 156.
The players attribute the wins to team chemistry, noting that it has played a big part in the Cardinals’ success throughout this season.
“We’ve got a really great team chemistry,” White said. “We’ve got each others’ back. We get along great. We like to keep drama out of the picture and just have fun and play golf.”
The Cardinals will play host for the Big East Championship on April 22-24 at the Oxmoor Country Club. The team is excited about the advantages of hosting the tournament.
“I’m glad that we’re hosting it,” LaCrosse said. “A lot of our families are coming out. The support is going to be great.”
Meyers and the team are hoping that the Cardinals will use their team strengths, such as hard-work, team chemistry and passion to repeat as Big East Champions.
“We won last year, so obviously we’re looking to win again, this year,” White said. “The home court advantage helps a lot with that. All of us are really looking forward to being the first team from Louisville to go to Nationals.”
